Benny Rodriguez
"We Can Play Forever Now." - Benny Rodriguez Benjamin Franklin "Benny the Jet" Rodriguez is the deuteragonist of the Sandlot 1, the original Sandlot made in 1993. He is the oldest of the group, as well as the best player on the team. He is the best friend of Scotty Smalls. Benny is portrayed by Mike Vitar. History Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez was born in the neighborhood around the sandlot. He was the most passionate baseball kid (as you can tell from the scene of the July 4th scene). He dreamed to play for Los Angeles Dodgers, a dream that he accomplishes by the end of the movie. He formed the sandlot team in the 1960's. Leadership Benny was the leader and oldest member of the sandlot group. The story starts with Benny inviting Scott Smalls to join the sandlot baseball team. He later taught Smalls how to play, but Smalls was inexperienced in the beginning. Everybody on the sandlot team, except Benny, opposed Scotty in the beginning for him, but Benny insisted that everybody is a part of the team and had to learn some day. As shown by his character in the movie, he is both kind and polite. Climax After Scotty lost his stepdad's ball autographed by Babe Ruth , he planned to get the ball back from the backyard that the furious beast presided in. He attempted numerous times to recover the ball but all of them failed. Benny revived the group's effort to retrieve the ball after his dream (involving Babe Ruth). Benny's Dream (Climax) Benny had a dream where Ruth himself stepped in front of him when he stepped inside of the wardrobe. Babe Ruth told him that with his pretty fast legs he should leap into Mertle's backyard in order to retrieve Scott's stepdad's baseball. Babe told Benny that legends never die and that he should get the ball back. Benny saw this as his attempt to gain fame, which pushed Benny to do what Babe said. The next day Benny emerged victorious. Tussle with the beast (Climax) The next morning, Benny came into the sandlot with the rest of the team. He brought with him the best shoes of that time, shoes that could make a kid as fast as a cheetah. He jumped across the fence and had an encounter with his worst fear : "The Beast". The beast was not actually a monster, but a furious dog. The Beast chased after Bennie all over the city, the chase ending when the fence of the sandlot fell onto the beast. Benny helped him, and returned him to Mr. Mertle. All presumptions about "The Beast" and Mr. Mertle were inaccurate. Benny made Hercules a member of the team and continued to live his passion, baseball. After Benny pickled the beast his reputation spread all over the town. The people nick-named him " The Jet Rodriguez " Playing for the Dodgers After his childhood years passed he became a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers . He played like a "jet" - "The Jet Rodriguez" - and was a brilliant player of baseball. He played many tournaments as a Dodger player. The Year 1972 Benny is a legend in the sandlot in 1972. Ten years after his battle with the Beast his legend was told by Johnnie (Small's younger brother) to his friends when they had to face Hercules' son: The Great Fear, He only appears at the beginning of the movie from the clips in the first movie. Coaching Squints Pharmacy Benny eventually returned to the sandlot in 1976 when he co-coached the team of Squints' Pharmacy. He met young Tommy Santorelli , a 13-year-old boy that claimed to be a baseball superstar and that Benny is his manager. Benny ignored that and started coaching them. He accidentally became injured and was told to rest for a few sessions but he continued to coach the team of the sandlot. When they were going to play against Needman's team to save the sandlot, Tommy switched over to Needman's team. Tommy heard Benny and Squints talking about their old days in the sandlot, making him realize what true friendship is, ending with he Sandlot team winning the game when Tommy rejoined them. Retirement, Manager Of Dodgers In the end, Benny Rodriguez, the former leader of the Sandlot crew, becomes the manager of the Dodgers in around the year 2000. Category:Characters Category:Baseball Players Category:The Sandlot Characters Category:The Sandlot: Heading Home Characters Category:Males Category:Coaches Category:Kids Category:Adults Category:Females